Eating hours before you start your training or event is preferred. If you have the time, eating a well-balance meal still carb focused hours before the training or even starts is preferred.

See above for some great meal ideas. The earlier before the ride that you eat, the more you are able to eat and digest. This is why you want to try and do the hour window, minimum, before big workouts or races. It allows you enough time to really fuel up well.

Eating at least 60 minutes before, or within about 15 minutes of starting training. The general guideline is that you want to try and eat at least an hour before training. However, we know that early mornings to train before work and life starts, you may not have the time.

So, in that case, even though it may sound odd, you want to have something right before jumping on the bike — like within 15 minutes. When you eat, your blood glucose increases and then the body produces insulin to bring that blood glucose level back down. Within about the first 15 minutes of eating your blood glucose is on the rise, and then after that from about 15 minutes to 60 minutes after eating, it is coming back down and trying to level off.

So, if you eat 60 minutes or more before training, your body has time to produce insulin and bring the blood glucose down and then level off. However, say you eat minutes before training, typically your glucose will still be coming down and that is the time when you do NOT want to jump on the bike.

You will feel a bit tired and sluggish trying to start the training as the blood glucose is dropping. If you are eating within 15 minutes of starting the ride which needs to be something super easy to digest, purely carbs, and no fiber then your blood glucose will be on the rise as you start the training and then stay elevated from the exercise.

The key here is that it is NOT on a down slope as you start training, which was what you are trying to avoid. Now, there are some caveats to this. If you do need to get up really early or eat right before training, a big key is to make sure you fueled well the night before.

Above we mentioned some quick digesting meals so you can have a little extra bit of energy right before those early morning sessions, but the key is to really make sure you have your glycogen stores fueled up from the day before.

Now, the question that many of you have probably been waiting for to find the perfect answer. Everyone is different and amounts will vary, depending on the training ahead, and of course factors like gender and weight. This helps to simplify it when you are trying to calculate how much to eat in the morning.

As mentioned, your age, weight and gender all matter too. For example, females tend to rely slightly less on carbs and require less calories overall compared to a male of the same fitness level due to males being typically larger.

These are all types of rides that will need big fuel to get through them. Think small amounts of protein two eggs. On this big day, have two of the eggs on some toast. In addition to get the carbs you will need, a bowl of muesli with yogurt, fruit, and honey will give you everything you need.

The important thing is that you have plenty of time for it to digest which is why hours is ideal and you may find your body needs even more time. Think of a day like this as a 90 minute session with few intervals, 2 hours steady endurance, or something along the lines of a difficulty in intensity and duration.

You can follow all of the pre-ride meal principles from above based on how much time before starting your training you have to eat and digest the meal. What you will change is how much based on the amount of training.

You could just do the egg omelet plain instead of on toast and have that along with the yogurt, fruit and muesli. There are different ways you can slightly reduce the intake compared to a bigger Category I training day. Category III Training Day — short recovery ride or rest day.

This is what would be a rest day or active recovery day. Of course you still need calories and nutrients on a rest day so that your body has the energy to recover. However, you can focus more on healthy fats and protein rather than a bunch of carbs.

Protein is crucial everyday, whether you are training hard or not. Your body needs it everyday for optimal recovery and function! One of the big issues with riding low carb is bonking. One way to avoid this is to take some high carbohydrate food out with you as a backup. Another huge caveat with low-carb training is that doing it too often can ruin your ability to perform the high-intensity efforts that are key to doing well in races.

There are several important enzymes in your muscles that allow you to produce energy quickly enough to perform high-intensity efforts, and chronically training without carbohydrate can reduce the amount of them in your muscle. In light of that, we suggest that you periodise your nutrition in the same manner that you periodise your training.

You may wish to avoid carbohydrates in some easier days, but on those tough days, make sure you fuel properly.

During exercise, your body produces a lot more metabolic heat than it normally does, and the main way of losing this excess heat is sweating. If you lose more than three per cent of your body mass in sweat 2. Pre-exercise, you should aim to drink about ml of fluid about four hours before starting.

The next time you urinate, if it is dark in colour, you should aim to drink the same amount again, and keep doing so until your urine is light or clear in colour. Some people sweat so much during exercise that they might struggle to replace all the fluids that are lost, and they may benefit from hyperhydrating before exercise.

While there are potential benefits, it does increase the risk that you may have to stop to urinate during the race, so be careful. If you consume more fluid than you lose through sweat, there is a risk of developing hyponatraemia; where the sodium in your blood becomes diluted. The symptoms of this include confusion, weakness and fainting.

In the most extreme cases, seizures and even death have occurred. The best way to find out how much fluid you should ingest is to weigh yourself pre- and post-ride in various weather conditions and keep notes. Protein, or the amino acids that make it up, are the building blocks of all the cells in the body, including skeletal muscle.

Whilst supplemental protein can help increase protein synthesis rates following weight-training, there is little evidence to suggest that it has any beneficial effect on endurance performance. What should be of more concern for endurance athletes is refuelling with carbohydrate after races or tough training sessions.

Caffeine is arguably the most commonly used supplement in sport due to its performance-enhancing effects. The main effect of caffeine is through the central nervous system, and you need only milligrams to experience these effects. Much higher doses have been linked to stomach cramps, gastrointestinal distress, and unsurprisingly, decreased performance.

Some people worry that regularly consuming caffeine before and during training rides might lessen the beneficial effects on race day, however, there is no evidence to suggest habitual use reduces its effectiveness on race days. This supplement comes into its own during very high-intensity efforts.

During these efforts, which typically last from two to five minutes, your muscles become acidic which reduces the ability of your muscle to contract, and your power output decreases. As a side note, this is not caused by lactate.

It is, in fact, the accumulation of hydrogen ions from other processes, and lactate helps our muscle deal with clearing these ions. Taking beta-alanine over an extended period prior to race day think weeks and months increases the amount of carnosine in the muscles, and this can help counteract the increase in acidity in the muscle, helping you perform high-intensity efforts for longer.

Current research trends suggest around a carb to protein ratio, and most recovery shake products hover near that range. Another simple recovery drink is a glass of chocolate milk with about 32g of carbs and 8g of protein.

Rest days and weeks are an essential part of any training plan. As you recover, your body undergoes the adaptations that make you faster. This reduction in workload provides an excellent opportunity to return your glycogen to baseline levels.

Making intentional food choices can enhance your recovery and motivation, leaving you even stronger for upcoming workouts.

Your body is healing and adapting in response to the stress of training. During this week, you can focus on eating nutritious whole foods that fill you up. On the other hand, it can be a good time to ease up on your diet and perhaps even include some treats for a well-deserved mental refresher.

Studies have shown that endurance athletes rarely operate with full glycogen stores. In fact, they are often in a glycogen deficit. This can present a problem, especially if you want to be in top form for an epic event. After carbs are absorbed and converted to glucose by the body, there are essentially three destinations—the liver, muscles, or fat storage.

The liver and muscles either use the glucose immediately or store it as glycogen for later use, which is what we want. Carb loading is a method to help ensure your glycogen stores are full without adding to your fat reserves.

So how do you know when your glycogen storage is full? Additionally, the answer is dependent on how much your muscles can store. However, endurance athletes can store more and varies based on muscle mass.

The rate at which you synthesize glycogen changes depending on the situation. It declines to an almost non-existent level during exercise, but immediately following exercise, the process is incredibly rapid.

At rest, glycogen storage is dependent on the level of your depletion, glycogen capacity, the rate of carb ingestion, and the types of carbs eaten. Carb loading focuses on timing carbohydrate intake, under optimal conditions, to maximize your cycling nutrition.

The key to carb-loading is to avoid huge blood glucose spikes and outpace your ability to absorb and process carbohydrates. This is easier done with low-glycemic carbs. In the three days leading up to your event, increase your carbohydrate upwards to 10g per kilogram of body weight per day.

The key is to spread the carbs throughout the day, not exceeding 1. Carb loading is something to reserve for the events where it will be most beneficial.

This includes multi-hour events, stage races, and ultra-endurance races. Carb loading can be difficult to get right, so practice it a few times before your big event. Alghannam AF, Gonzalez JT, Betts JA.

Restoration of Muscle Glycogen and Functional Capacity: Role of Post-Exercise Carbohydrate and Protein Co-Ingestion. Arent SM, Cintineo HP, McFadden BA, Chandler AJ, Arent MA. Nutrient Timing: A Garage Door of Opportunity? Atherton PJ, Smith K. Muscle protein synthesis in response to nutrition and exercise.

J Physiol. Baar K. Nutrition and the adaptation to endurance training. Sports Med. Ivy J. Regulation of muscle glycogen repletion, muscle protein synthesis and repair following exercise. Jeukendrup, A. Nutrition for endurance sports: Marathon, triathlon, and road cycling.

Journal of Sports Sciences, Kato H, Suzuki K, Bannai M, Moore DR. Protein Requirements Are Elevated in Endurance Athletes after Exercise as Determined by the Indicator Amino Acid Oxidation Method.

PLoS One. Murray, B. Fundamentals of glycogen metabolism for coaches and athletes. Nutrition reviews , 76 4 , — Sean Hurley is a bike racer, baker of sourdough bread, and former art professor. He is a connoisseur of cycling socks and a certified USAC level 3 coach.

Rumor has it he also runs a famous cycling instagram account, but don't tell anyone about that. Table of Contents Basic Nutrition Principles for Cyclists What Should I Eat While Cycling?

What To Eat for Long Distance Cycling Example Cycling Nutrition Plan Rest Day and Week Nutrition Carb Loading. Adaptive Training Get the right workout, every time with training that adapts to you. Check Out TrainerRoad. Carbs Vegetables like potatoes, broccoli, beans, or peas Fruits including bananas, oranges, blueberries, and apples Grains like oats, quinoa, rice, and pasta.

And then at dinner I will eat a plate of pasta about g in dry weight and some more potatoes with a small piece of chicken. Image Credit: Team Sunweb ©. On the day of the race I will get up and have my usual race day breakfast; 50g of oats with yoghurt and g dry weight of rice. There's lots of carbs because we'll need energy!

The omelette fills me up and it supplies me with some protein, while the taste also goes well with the rice. At home we have our own chickens and the taste of our own eggs is unbeatable! I always drink green tea at breakfast. Green tea has proven health benefits and I prefer not to add to the nerves by drinking coffee yet!

The caffeine gives me just the right kick to start the race. In the beginning this will be real foods that you need to chew on and get absorbed by your stomach rather slowly.

A banana or two is one thing I always have in my back pocket for those first hours. The soigneurs prepare little jam sandwiches, porridge and rice balls.

The golden rule is to take in at least 60g of carbs every hour, but my stomach is well-trained and I can get higher than that these days. In those 60g are some sugars, including those from the sports drink in our water bottles.

On hot days I always have PH to hand in order to keep up with my sweat losses during a six-hour race. During the race he only ever wanted to eat Snickers and drink Coca Cola! He would ask the guy that had to stay with him in the race, "hey, can you get a Snickers and a coke for me at the team car?

So, there you have it, the full race-day nutrition plan of a top pro cyclist. Amazing how much Jan packs away and interesting how much is carbohydrate, which really aligns with our own approach to fuelling.

Andy Blow is a Sports Scientist with a BSc Honours degree in Sports and Exercise Science from the University of Bath. Fluid replenishment is the highest priority, because you can sweat out up to 1. Shift more to simple sugars from chewables or gels as intensity increases.

Take our free 2-minute quiz to discover how effective your training is and get recommendations for how you can improve. Rationale: For cycling nutrition within this range, consuming carbohydrate has been conclusively shown to improve performance in intermittent-intensity sports like cycling.

Sustainable power, peak power, and time to exhaustion increase, and repeatability of hard efforts improves. Save recovery drinks for rides that accumulate more than kilojoules of work, or for times when you will be training hard again within the same day or less than about 18 hours.

Hydration: preferred combo of water, electrolyte drink, carbohydrate drink. Separate energy from hydration when anticipating hot weather or high-intensity. Recommended calorie sources: Start with solid foods, including sandwiches, homemade rice bars, and sports nutrition bars we recommend ProBar Peak.

Save the chewables and gels for the last third of the ride. After the ride: Sit down to a substantial meal within 60 minutes of finishing the ride. Consider a pre-bedtime snack to fuel muscle protein synthesis overnight. Recommended calorie sources: whatever works and will motivate you to keep eating.

Rationale: For cycling nutrition during ultraendurance rides, food boredom and GI distress are the big challenges. The intensity of very long rides is generally moderate. As a result, your ability to absorb carbohydrate fast enough is rarely a problem. Having a variety of flavors, textures, and cravable foods is key.

After the ride: The big thing is to stay present and engaged long enough to actually get a good meal. Oftentimes, riders just totally shut off their brains at the finish of an extra-long ride.

Instead, wait until you change, shower, and eat before considering the ride finished. Learn step-by-step how to overcome limited training time and get faster.

Walk away with a personalized plan to increase your performance. Email Name This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Pingback: Fueling Your Cycling Performance: What to Eat and Drink for Optimal Results — Rev Up Your Cycles.

A real mixed bag of opinions here. My advice is do what you think suits you best for for whatever you are doing in the form of exercise you participate in.

It is not a one size fits all. Different strokes for different folks as they say. I have followed the same routine for 20 years doing my cycling and it has worked well for me. For those of you thinking I am autistic no I am not.

I am now 66 and cycle 17 miles every day and feel the benefits of my cycling. silly me. It does contain 5 fruits lots of carbs etc etc l just modify it in the spring to reduce weight by kg for the summer.

Sorry but this article clearly shows a lack of understanding. Very dilute sugar and salt osmolarity are essential requirements of hydration. You have not cited any scientific sources, or even mentioned coffee or alcohol.

I would never ever start using a gel prior to a race start. away from hard working muscles??? Sounds like a recipe for gastrointestinal disaster.

The article may contain errors, but posting a link to a well-known super quack is not exactly the correct way to show that. And you talk about scientific sources?

More info on the drink part of this plan would be important for salty sweaters like me. Carrying water is fine if you want to have it for cleaning glasses or to decide on the fly what you want to mix to drink, but plan to consume electrolytes unless you never get a salt crust or chalky feeling to your skin after you ride.

Pingback: Alimentazione per il ciclismo: Cosa mangiare e bere durante le uscite in bicicletta di qualsiasi durata - Estate Correndo. Pingback: Endurance Ride Checklist: What Smart Cyclists Take on Everyday Rides and Epic Adventures - CTS.

Pre-bedtime snack is better than my 2 AM snack following a ride over 4 hours. Well written advice that I wished I knew the first time I attempted the Tour of CA Alps aka Deathride…. If you ignore the calories that accompany hydration, you will take in far too much.

Thanks for the article. Fueling is one of my main problems. It may sound counter intuitive but my best performance on the bike has been on rides where I have a sit down lunch halfway through. It does cut a chunk of daylight out of my ride though.

Is there a magic food out there my gut will tolerate and keep me fueled all day? What on bike nutrition have you all had good luck with on long rides? On long rides like yours, you may have to eat a couple of them. Rice Krispie type bars are also pretty easy on my stomach and get some fuel in me.

I am 58 years of age, 90kg and lack energy when cycling. Is there any benefit in taking a pre-workout prior to a race and if yes, what would you suggest?

If your event is critically dependent on nutrition then it is good to build habits during training. So sometimes you may want to change the guidelines above, e. to simulate the nutrition you are planning during a real event. alarm on garmin.

He was heavily involved in advising Team GB in the run-up to the London Olympic games and towards Rio All health content on bbcgoodfood. com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional.

If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.

Search, save and sort your favourite recipes and view them offline. Join the BBC Good Food Wine Club. Join our Subscriber Club Download our app Good Food Shows Wine Club Recipe boxes Videos.

Recipes Back to Main menu Dinner ideas Back to Recipes Healthy dinners Dinner for two Low-carb dinners Gluten-free dinners. Back to Recipes Quick breakfast recipes Breakfast smoothie recipes Vegan breakfast recipes Low-carb breakfast recipes. Back to Recipes Family lunch recipes Quick lunch recipes Healthy packed lunch recipes Budget Sunday lunch recipes.

Back to Recipes Healthy salmon recipes Seafood recipes Paella recipes seafood White fish recipes. Back to Recipes Vegetable soup recipes Creamy soup recipes Chicken soup recipes Low-carb soup recipes.

Back to Recipes Quick pasta recipes Carbonara recipes Lasagne recipes Bolognese recipes. Back to Recipes Low-calorie chicken recipes Low-calorie vegetarian recipes calorie meal recipes Low-carb family meals. Back to Recipes High-protein vegan High-protein lunch recipes High-protein snacks High protein bowl recipes.

Back to Recipes Vegan dinner recipes Easy vegan recipes Vegan slow cooker recipes Vegan soup recipes. Back to Recipes Easy vegetarian recipes Healthy vegetarian recipes Vegetarian dinner recipes Vegetarian slow cooker recipes. Back to Recipes Winter warmers Winter salads Healthy winter meals Quick winter recipes.

Back to Health Oily fish benefits Is peanut butter healthy? Is sourdough good for you? Healthiest winter foods. Back to Health Celeb diets reviewed Intermittent fasting 's best diets Weight-loss myths busted.

Back to Health Is vegan 'meat' healthy? Do aphrodisiacs work? Back to Health Daily steps to lose weight Protein for muscle building Your healthiest exercises Protein — all you need to know. Back to Main menu Cooking tips Back to How to Roast timer Seasonal calendar Conversion guides Glossary.

Back to How to School packed lunch ideas Hot lunch ideas Healthy lunch ideas for work Easy lunch ideas. Back to How to Vegetarian family classics Twists on chilli con carne Best vegan curry recipes Vegetarian fakeaway recipes.

Back to How to How to cook sprouts How to cook cabbage How to cook sweet potatoes How to cook long stem broccoli. Back to How to How to poach an egg How to cook rice How to make risotto How to cook couscous How to knead bread dough. Back to Main menu Birthdays Back to Inspiration Lemon drizzle cake recipes Red velvet cake recipe Chocolate cake recipe Gluten free cake recipes.

Back to Inspiration Lemon tea recipe Mocktail recipes Winter drinks recipes Non-alcoholic drink recipes. Back to Inspiration Indian fakeaway recipes Slow cooker Sunday lunch Brunch recipes Chinese fakeaway recipes.

Back to Inspiration Vegetarian air fryer recipes Healthy air-fryer recipes Air-frying for beginners Air-fryer chips. Back to Inspiration Healthy smoothie recipes Green smoothie recipes Breakfast smoothie recipes Spinach smoothie recipes.

Back to Inspiration Easy midweek meals Quick dinner recipes Family one-pot recipes No-cook recipes. Back to Inspiration Family casserole recipes Family chicken recipes Bolognese recipes Cheesy pasta recipes. Back to Inspiration Quick cake recipes How to make muffins Tray bake recipes Easy dessert recipes.

Back to Inspiration Chinese New Year Valentine's Day Mother's Day Easter. Back to Inspiration Budget Valentine's Day recipes Easy Valentine's Day recipes Healthy Valentine's Day recipes Easy vegetarian Valentine's Day recipes.

Back to Main menu Batch cooking Back to Budget Healthy batch cooking Vegetarian batch cooking Batch cooking on a budget Batch cooking for beginners. Back to Budget Slow cooker budget recipes Budget vegetarian recipes Healthy budget dinners Budget friendly meals for two.

Back to Budget Freezable vegetarian meals Healthy freezable meals Freezable chicken recipes Freezable family meals. Back to Budget Tempeh recipes Budget vegetarian recipes Veggie meal plan Vegan student recipes.

Back to Budget Leftover chicken recipes Leftover pork recipes Leftover bread Leftover lamb recipes. Back to Main menu Appliance reviews Back to Reviews Best frying pans Best air fryers Best air fryer accessories Best juicers Best slow cookers Best coffee machines Best soup makers Best food processors Best breadmakers Best pizza ovens.

Back to Reviews Best non-alcoholic beer Best non-alcoholic spirits Best non-alcoholic fizz Best hot chocolate Best coffee beans. Back to Reviews Air fryer deals Coffee machine deals Stand mixer deals Fridge freezer deals.

You can even just start drinking the carb mix right when you start the ride and not have anything before. If you are going to do this, you really want to make sure you fueled well the night before with quality carbs. This is another one that will be very low fiber and easy to digest.

Depending on how long you are training you can adjust how much you want to have. Preferably choose low fiber bread or rice cake that to keep from slowing the digestion. Sourdough is great! Taking a gel or an energy bar right before jumping on the bike can help give you some quick energy you need before starting without having to get up earlier to prepare.

There are good times to eat before training and there are some not-so-good times. Eating hours before you start your training or event is preferred. If you have the time, eating a well-balance meal still carb focused hours before the training or even starts is preferred.

See above for some great meal ideas. The earlier before the ride that you eat, the more you are able to eat and digest. This is why you want to try and do the hour window, minimum, before big workouts or races.

It allows you enough time to really fuel up well. Eating at least 60 minutes before, or within about 15 minutes of starting training.

The general guideline is that you want to try and eat at least an hour before training. However, we know that early mornings to train before work and life starts, you may not have the time.

So, in that case, even though it may sound odd, you want to have something right before jumping on the bike — like within 15 minutes. When you eat, your blood glucose increases and then the body produces insulin to bring that blood glucose level back down.

Within about the first 15 minutes of eating your blood glucose is on the rise, and then after that from about 15 minutes to 60 minutes after eating, it is coming back down and trying to level off. So, if you eat 60 minutes or more before training, your body has time to produce insulin and bring the blood glucose down and then level off.

However, say you eat minutes before training, typically your glucose will still be coming down and that is the time when you do NOT want to jump on the bike.

You will feel a bit tired and sluggish trying to start the training as the blood glucose is dropping. If you are eating within 15 minutes of starting the ride which needs to be something super easy to digest, purely carbs, and no fiber then your blood glucose will be on the rise as you start the training and then stay elevated from the exercise.

The key here is that it is NOT on a down slope as you start training, which was what you are trying to avoid. Now, there are some caveats to this.

If you do need to get up really early or eat right before training, a big key is to make sure you fueled well the night before. Above we mentioned some quick digesting meals so you can have a little extra bit of energy right before those early morning sessions, but the key is to really make sure you have your glycogen stores fueled up from the day before.

Now, the question that many of you have probably been waiting for to find the perfect answer. Everyone is different and amounts will vary, depending on the training ahead, and of course factors like gender and weight.

This helps to simplify it when you are trying to calculate how much to eat in the morning. As mentioned, your age, weight and gender all matter too. For example, females tend to rely slightly less on carbs and require less calories overall compared to a male of the same fitness level due to males being typically larger.

These are all types of rides that will need big fuel to get through them. Think small amounts of protein two eggs. On this big day, have two of the eggs on some toast.

In addition to get the carbs you will need, a bowl of muesli with yogurt, fruit, and honey will give you everything you need.

The important thing is that you have plenty of time for it to digest which is why hours is ideal and you may find your body needs even more time.

Think of a day like this as a 90 minute session with few intervals, 2 hours steady endurance, or something along the lines of a difficulty in intensity and duration.

You can follow all of the pre-ride meal principles from above based on how much time before starting your training you have to eat and digest the meal.

What you will change is how much based on the amount of training. You could just do the egg omelet plain instead of on toast and have that along with the yogurt, fruit and muesli.

There are different ways you can slightly reduce the intake compared to a bigger Category I training day. Category III Training Day — short recovery ride or rest day. This is what would be a rest day or active recovery day.

Of course you still need calories and nutrients on a rest day so that your body has the energy to recover. However, you can focus more on healthy fats and protein rather than a bunch of carbs.

Protein is crucial everyday, whether you are training hard or not. Your body needs it everyday for optimal recovery and function! No need for yogurt, fruit and granola since you are having an easier day. Every person is different and will need different amounts, so there will be some time of trial and error to see what works best for you.

What you eat depends on how much time you have before starting your training as well as the type of training for the day. Think eggs, toast, granola, yogurt with hours before training.

May need slightly more time to digest depending on the person. Try NOT to eat in the window between 60 to 15 mins before training. This means eat at least 60 minutes before, or something quick digesting within 15 minutes of starting. You either want it rising or to already have gone up, back down, and leveled off by the time you start.

Very dependent from person to person gender, age, weight, type of training for the day. A medium level training day needs good fuel still, but not as much. A rest or active recovery day will need the least fuel and focus can be more on healthy fats and protein rather than tons of carbs.

Become a premium coaching client and have full access to our team nutritionists to help get your diet dialed in to reach your goals.

Find out more here - Team EF Coaching.